8bit

Features

takeaway

Burgers

Opening its fourth venue in as many years, Melbourne’s 8bit is bringing its old-school burgers and milkshakes to Sydney. Joining the soon-to-be food precinct of Darling Square, the team is expecting to open in April 2018.

Seriously good burgers, bold primary colours and an Atari-inspired approach to decor are the hallmarks of the incoming venue. The brainchild of fine-dining chef turned burger-flippers Shayne McCallum and Alan Sam and high-school mate Long Tran, 8bit is the modern answer to the local takeaway of a bygone era – complete with a Space Invaders machine squeezed into the corner.

“The idea started with an old-school American milk bar,” says McCallum. “But we didn’t want to do that typical ’50s style. We all remember going to the neighbourhood takeaway as kids and begging our parents for coins to play Pac-Man while we waited, so it’s more of a nod to our own era.”
Expect to find burgers served with crispy onion rings and potato gems alongside hotdogs like the 1942 (grilled bratwurst garnished with pickle relish, curry ketchup and slaw). The new site will be licensed and the owners are expecting to showcase a variety of local breweries.

The Darling Square venue will be 8bit’s biggest yet, including 130 seats and an outdoor area. “The original Footscray shop is pretty ghetto. We did everything ourselves. The Sydney store will have a different look but continue that concept,” says McCallum.

8bit will find itself in good local company, with Edition Coffee Roasters and Marrickville Pork Roll among the development’s anticipated openings.